The Blackhawks made some news on Saturday the first day of March 2025; they traded defenseman Seth Jones to the Florida Panthers. It was the end of an era; was it really even an era? I think not.
The Hawks acquired him in the summer of 2021; he’s played almost 4 seasons here. After starting his career off in Nashville, he really made a name for himself in Columbus, making the All-Star game 3x; he made the All-Star game 1x in Chicago. When comparing his time between the Blue Jackets and the Hawks, there are some similar numbers. He had slightly less goals, assists, and points per game in his time here. His +/- was worse and he had more giveaways. In Columbus, his team made the playoffs 4x; he didn’t play in one postseason game in Chicago. I don’t think we’ll be confusing Seth Jones with Duncan Keith or Brent Seabrook any time soon, although we really can’t compare those teams as a whole either…
Seth did have some stuff to say after getting traded, talking about it being a tough 4 years in Chicago; I wouldn’t disagree. He talked about putting too much pressure on himself; I guess that comes with being a highly skilled veteran making the most money on a team. Sure, one guy can’t do it all, but what exactly did he do? He certainly didn’t seem to positively influence anything/anybody during these tough 4 years, but what do I know.
I do know the Hawks received a goalie in return; his name is Spencer Knight. He was selected 13th overall in the 2019 draft. Playing behind Bobrovsky didn’t really give him much of a chance; he won’t have that same problem here in Chicago. Yes, we have a couple goalies, but there’s nobody sticking out; can Spencer stick out? I think it’s worth a shot. Certainly not going anywhere this year. To get rid of a high priced underperforming player and take a shot on our goalie of the future; I’m good with this.
Maybe Seth Jones will do a lot better in Florida; obviously, as Stanley Cup Champs, the Panthers are on the other side of the spectrum from the Blackhawks right now. They are where we want to be; they are where we were, about 10 years ago, on our way to winning our 3rd Cup in 6 years. Seth won’t have to worry about trying to “be the man”; quite obvious he couldn’t fill that role. Filling a lesser role on a highly talented squad may be more his speed at this point. Meanwhile, we add another piece for the future, which will hopefully start looking up as soon as next year. Have we found our next Niemi/Crawford?
That sounds like wishful thinking at this point, but what else do we really have? Hoping that the rebuild shifts into its next gear sooner than later; this last place stuff is kind of tough to watch. Although, the Blackhawks ended this event filled day with a 6-3 win over the Ducks in Anaheim; 1-0 post Seth Jones. Let’s go Hawks!
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